In a tough economy with a highly competitive market for accounting talent and the ever-increasing complexity of state and federal regulations, it is more important than ever for accounting professionals to examine their service offerings and clients' needs and expectations to find the best solution for their clients and their firms. Today's business owners are interested in more than just payroll processing; they want and need a comprehensive HR offering for their employees. Because small businesses never have enough resources to do the things they need to grow and succeed, they turn to their most trusted advisor — their accountant or CPA — to outsource the tasks that are necessary, but not directly tied to their business. It isn't uncommon for accounting firms to find it challenging to provide the functionality clients have come to expect — including retirement services, pretax benefits, health insurance and workers' compensation administration. By choosing to outsource the payroll/HR functions, accounting professionals can be assured that the clients' needs are expertly met, while they are free to provide greater value to their client relationships. In a recent national survey of more than 2,000 accounting professionals, Paychex found that accountants who refer payroll services to their clients also tend to be highly consultative in nature and proactively engage in referring ancillary HR and benefit services. By playing this consultative role, accountants can deliver even greater value to their clients, in turn facilitating greater client retention through a strengthened relationship. When making the outsourcing vs.
展开▼
